Lathe attachment



D 1953 T. o. STRAUSS ,660,7

LATHE ATTACHMENT Filed June 16, 1947 '3 Sheets-Sheet 1 art 011mm Theodore 0.Sirauss T. O. STRAUSS LATHE ATTACHMENT Dec. 1, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 16, 1947 3 m Theodore astral-m Dec. 1, 1953 o, s uss 2,660,799

LATHE ATTACHMENT Filed June 16, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 3 wu wwkvb odoz'e aStrauSS Patented Dec, 1 i953 attests UNETED STATES FATENT OFFICE LATHE ATTACHMENT Theodore O. Strauss, New York, N. Y.

Application June 16, 1947, Serial No. 754,978

3 Claims. 1

In the conventional operation of a lathe, a micrometer or gauge is used for measuring the work. The machine is stopped, the micrometer has to be applied to a precise position, and the operator has to take the reading and calculate how much more metal has to be taken ofi, these operations taking considerable time during which the machine is idle. The object of the present invention is to provide measuring apparatus applicable to lathes, grinding machines, milling machines, etc., enabling measurements to be quickly made without stopping the machine. Another object is to provide apparatus which will handle other operations, for example, the axial and transverse indicating of work pieces to determine concentric, eccentric, parallel or out-of-round conditions and to set the machine for accurate tapers.

The machine is shown in illustrative embodiment in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a transverse section of a lathe with the carriage in elevation and equipped with the new apparatus;

Figure 2 is a partial elevation of the base portion of the new apparatus, which portion appears in transverse section in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevation of the base portion of the apparatus as seen'irom the right of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the apparatus;

Figure 5 is a section substantially on line 55 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an elevation and partial section of a contacting lever;

Figure 7 is a partial elevation of the apparatus arranged for inside contact;

Figure 8 shows in elevation a contact finger, which is a modification of that shown in Figure '7;

Figure 9 shows a modification partly in elevation and partly in section;

Figure 10 shows a modified base structure in vertical section;

Figure 11 is a rear elevation of a lathe carriage showing a further modified cross-slide base structure; g

Figure 12 is a vertical sectionof a modified supporting bridge;

- Figure 13 shows apfurther. form of mounting means in elevation, and

Figure 14 is a transverseseotion of a lathe bed showing a-special form of saddl partly in elevation and partly in section.

In Figure .1, reference numerals 20 and 2| designate the ways of a lathe having a cross-slide 22 mounted-upon a saddle 23. The rear. longitudinal portion 24 of the saddle is provided with a horizontal threaded bore 25.

Reference numeral 26 designates a bracket having a shank portion 27 for a vertical socket portion 28. The shank is bored to pass a holding screw 23 which is threaded into bore 25. Four parallel bores are arranged around screw 29 and have threaded therein trueing screws 30 which engage the rear face of saddle portion 24 so that the bracket is rigidly secured to the saddle with the socket exactly vertical. The socket has a vertical split at one side with integral ears 3| and 32 adapted to be pulled together by a screw 33. The upper end face of the socket portion 23 is provided with a diametrical groove 34 having downwardly tapering 0r converging side walls.

Reference numeral 35 designates a pedestal or post whose lower end is closely received in the socket portion 28, the pedestal having an integral flange 36 which rests on a collar 37 having a rib 38 mating with the groove 34, the collar being equipped with a radial screw 39 by means of which the pedestal may be locked in desired angular relation with respect to the collar.

Splined on pedestal 35 is a bracket 40 having a vertical split 4| with ears 42 and 43 at the sides thereof and connected by a clamping screw t4. Fixed in a lug 45 which projects from one side of the bracket is a screw 46 on which is threaded a narrowed nut 41 disposed between ears 43 and 49 projecting from a clamp 50 slidably mounted on the pedestal 35 but capable of being locked in adjusted position by means of a screw 5 I.

Bracket 40 includes a horizontal sleeve portion 52 which is horizontally split at its outer side and has parallel ears as at 53 connected by a clamping screw 54. A rod 55, slidably disposed in the sleeve 52, may be clamped in longitudinally adjusted position by screw 54 and is restrained against relative rotation by a key or spline 56.

A clamp 51 slidably mounted on the rod 55 may be held against longitudinal movement with respect thereto by a clamping screw 53. The clamp has a pair of apertured lugs 59, 65, between which a relatively thin nut Si is disposed, in threaded relation upon a screw 62, extending through the apertures in the lugs and held fixedly at its ior- Ward end in a block 63 projecting horizontally from the sleeve portion 52 of bracket to. When the clamp 5'! is firmly attached to the rod 55 and the screw 54 loosened somewhat, the longitudinalposition of the rod 55 may be shifted with fine accuracy by manipulating the not 5!, in one direction or the other.

, Similarly, the vertical position of the bracket All -on pedestal may be nicely adjusted by the nut 4'! engaging screw 35, when the upper clamp is tight on the pedestals and screw 44, associated with bracket ii! has been temporarily loosened.

The squared forward end of the rod 55 carries a block 66, to the sides of which a pair of flat steel springs 6?, 58 are attached by suitable screws or the like. The forward ends of the springs are recessed or apertured as at 69 for the reception of hardened steel ball bearing H3, seated in recesses H (Figure 6) formed in the. side faces of a central block 12 of a lever 13. The

block 12 of the lever carries laterally proiecting dicated in full lines in Figure 1 when engaged under the lower pin 15, or. forwardly, as shown in broken. lines. when. engaged above. the. upper. pin

The. block 6,5. has. a vertical: bore adjacent. its iorwardend, through which the shank of a. cap. Screw: orbolt. 3, extends, into. a. threaded horein the. quared endifiaof rodfifi; A screw 19 has-its l wer. end adiustably threaded in. a bor in the. block. 66. and its upper end. threaded into. the base of adial indicatorgauge 8.11, theparts: being locked in adiusted position by nuts; 19a; and 1.91).. he. gauge 86 has an operating button" 81, p.osi-. tinned to be. en aged by the. upper. end. 82-0;6 lever 73 The lower end ta-of the lever. 13. carries a hardened steel contact; piece, as. adapted to en-. ease. the, worlr piece. as. hereinafter explained. In the use oi. the apparatuaior instance, when it is desired to produc on the, lathe. aplurality of identical.articles, the. first article is. turned down in the conventional. manner, by: employing. cal-. ipers r. auges from time to. time. as the work progresses... stopping the machine. periodically to make the necessary measurements. ii Then. the product has been completed, it. may-beleft in the chuck and the. gauging apparatus of: the present invention installed, for instance, by. placing the lower end; of the'pedestalBE in socket. 28, or, if already there, by rotating. the. pedestal. toizbring rib tfiintq notch 3.4;. The. vertical positiomof the bracket to; may be, adjusted by the knurled nut s1, and the longitudinal, position of rod 55 and he parts. carried thereby; similarly adjusted by the. knurled. nut fil. When the parts have. been adjusted, the contact: piecefid' isin engagement. withthe Work and the; upper'endrof thel'ever 82 is; in such engagement with thebuttontl ofthe dial indicator that: the needle. thereof: registers zero., The screws-4d and 5-; may. betightenedlt'o clamp: the parts in this position. The. lower end of the'lever i3 may now. be swung rearwardly to. the broken line position. of Figure l, by: shifting the spring wire 16- into engagement with the upper pin, M, and the work piecev 85 removed from the chuck, a half section of which isshown at 85, After a new piece of stock has been put. inplace, the lathev may operate continuously and automatically, with the lower end 84. of the lever 13 engagement with the work, under theinfiuence-of the spring 75:, now. positioned belowthe lower pin; 15. The operation of the lathe continues until the-upper end of the lever 1=3engages thebutton 3! of the dial indicator-and shifts the same sufiiciently to cause the needle thereof to, register zero, at which point. the. operation ofthelathe is stopped and the completed piece removed.

To avoidexcessive wear on the tip. 84', the

rality of additional sockets for the pedestal 35 or the like at various other places on the lathe, to th end; thatthe position of the gauging apparatus may be shifted from place to place and from machine to machine, as occasion may dictate. For instance, as shown in dotted lines in leisure. 1., a socket. 2.8.. having: anerturedilugs: Z9 may-hebolted; to the tar. sidofaees. of. the. cross slide. &2-..for supporting the. pedestal. of. a g ugin ass mhiy for transverse.- movementwiththe slider to auge he flatness; and nueness f. radial; sunfaces on the. worn.

Ref rr n o Houses. of. and; 8.; the cen ral block. 1.2 of he later ithas aria-Demure 88; in its: t. face... adapted,- to receive the r ar end; or: a; fe lez; arm, fitrhating; a hardened and it; which; may be used o. measure th interior bore. of; a l nv worhpiecett Or the e, the arm being ed, dow wardly into. contactwith said; suriaser by the spring '56, positioned aborte-theupper nin If. de ired, acontactor arm; 92; (fi ured). hay-.- a ent; nd 5+3 unsubstituted forthearnr 39.. Bo h typ set pref rably are asnlitend 9 2', adapted to be received with a snug frictional fit. wit in he bore .8-.

n the modification shown Eieure. 9. the blo k. 95: has athreaded. aperture 9?, ion the. recap ion oi: the threaded; section 9.8 oi. the. sup: porting stem 99 of a dial indicator: on; The lq ki 9.6: is. sec-.uredupon the; square end.- 6,5- of the. d,- Eii by; a, screw. lot. extending upwardly through a bore in; theibloclg and threaded'into a. central; bore in; the lower: end faces of: the stem. Q95.

In this. case the central. block: portion l'ttiof th ontact. lever,- we adapted ta engagavertical and inclined surfaces [04, I05 formed on the. endiace Qf'thetlocle R6; to-..1imit.the.swinging movement of the lever, under: the; influence of; a; shittable-weight; t6 &, .haying-:a. sleeve: portion H3! embracing the cylindrical portion; liin'ofrthe upper: end: of; the. lever; The: undersurfia'oe" of the; sleeve; portion; 10:11 on; the: weight: is; provided with a radiahV-shapedri-h m9; adapt'ed'tog seat in a correspondingly shaped grooyein the. upper fa e of: the: nlar ed lower: section tilts or. the upper arm of the lever. A spring; l:l:i',.interposed be w en. thiesleeve portion; lot of the Weight. and. a q a t' t: u es he. we ght. downwards. When in the position shown in full linesirrF-i-g; ure. 9.,the. weight tendsto, pivot the uppers end of the lever to the right, toward engagement with, the, button otthe dial indicator, whereas, when rotated to the dotted line position, the weight swings the lever in a counterclockwise direction until the central block It? comes into engagement with the surface i953 The" main purpose of swinging therear" end" of the; lever rearwardl'y in all cases is to get it out; of the way; when installing a new blank or worle piece onwhen: removingannished product.-

In the form of the invention shown in Figure 10, a socket member III! for a pedestal III, generally similar to the pedestal 35, previously described, has a base flange II2 which is apertured to receive a screw H3 having an enlarged head H4 disposed in a T-shaped slot II5, formed in the saddle member HE. A spring pressed ball III, associated with one wall of the socket IIEI is adapted to be seated in a circumferential groove IIB, adjacent the lower end of the pedestal III, to maintain the pedestal in the socket against accidental removal, but permitting deliberate withdrawal.

A second socket member we, provided with a vertically extending slit I2I and a clamping screw I22 may be formed as an integral part of the understrip I23 of .the carriage H6. The The pedestal II I may be selectively positioned in the socket IIII or I29, depending upon the character of the work to be gauged.

The position of the socket H8 may obviously be shifted by loosening the nut I I2 on the screw H2 and sliding the assembly longitudinally with respect to the T-slot I I to the desired position, whereupon the nut may be tightened to clamp the parts in position.

The arrangement shown in Figure 11 includes a base or bridge member I25, having a plurality of split sockets I26, I27, I23 formed integrally therewith and each provided with a clamping screw I29 extending through laterally projecting, apertured lugs, as previously described. The bridge or base I straddles the cross-slide 22 and is secured to the lathe carriage or saddle 23 above the rear portion 24 thereof, by bolts I32 and 533. The pedestal or post I33, similar to the posts 35 and I I I may be mounted in either of the sockets I26, I21, or I28, depending upon the character of and the position of the work to be gauged and other factors. Thus, the in-- vention contemplates mounting the gauging apparatus as shown in Figures 1 and 10, or directly on the lathe carriage, straddling the cross-slide, behind the cutting tools.

In Figure 12 the base or bridge I35 is adapted to be mounted in the same manner as in Figure 11, but in this case, the bridge is provided with a T-slot I36, adapted to receive the enlarged head I3? formed below the lower threaded end I38 of a measuring instrument supporting pedestal I39, corresponding generally to the pedestals previously described. A clamping nut Mil, threaded on the section I38 clamps the parts in the desired adjusted relation, at various points along the slot I36.

In Figure 13, a base block I may be secured to a saddle member, for instance, the member 24 of Figure 1, by a securing screw I46, and its position accurately fixed by four squaring screws I41, as previously described in connection with Figure 1. The base block I45 carries a channel member I 48, of suitable length, having an upwardly opening T-shaped slot :69 formed therein, to receive the enlarged head I58 of a pedestal I 5|, similar to those previously described, and adapted to be clamped in longitudinally adjusted position by a nut I52, screwed on the threaded section I53 of the pedestal.

In Figure 14 the gauging assembly is mounted upon an independent slide I60, movable longitudinally of the lathe between the head stock and the tail stock, on ways IEI and I62. The under surface of the slide is provided with a V-shaped groove I63, mating with a similarly shaped rib WI associated with one of the ways, as is well- 6 understood. The slide I50 is provided with an upwardly opening T-shaped slot I65, extending transversely of the lathe, in which the lower end of a pedestal I66 may be slidably disposed. As previously described, the pedestal includes an enlarged head I61, mounted for longitudinal movement with respect to the slot and a clamping nut I58, screwed on the threaded lower section I69 of the pedestal.

The operation of the various modifications shown in Figures 11-14 will be substantially the same as that previously described, since these arrangements are provided simply to increase the flexibility of use of the invention and to make possible a great plurality of different adjustable mountings for the gauging'or measuring apparatus.

It should be understood that the invention is not" limited to the type of indicator assembly shown mounted on the block in Figures 1, 4, and 7, since indicators of other types, made by various manufacturers may be supported, by suitable devices, upon the adjustable arm or block of the present invention. The attachment is so constructed and arranged that it can be transferred from one socket or the like for longitudinal travel to another socket for transverse travel regardless of the detailed construction of the various parts.

The invention is not limited to the details of construction shown in the accompanying drawings and described above, but includes all modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

I claim:

1. An attachment for lathes including a saddle adapted to travel on the ways of the lathe, a vertical socket member carried by the saddle, a pedestal mounted in said socket member, a bracket on said pedestal and adjustable longitudinally thereof, means for locking the bracket in adjusted position, a horizontal arm supported by the bracket and adjustable longitudinally relative thereto, means for locking said arm in adjusted position, a gauge supported by one end of said arm and having a push-pin positioned above and faced in the same direction as said arm end, a two armed lever pivotally supported by said arm end on a horizontal axis in a vertical plane which is perpendicular to the arm axis, the arrangement being such that one end of said lever is engageable with said push-pin to operate the gauge when the other end of the lever contacts the work, a collar on said pedestal, and a screw threaded in the collar and adjustable to lock the collar to the pedestal in a selected angular relation thereto, there being a tapered tongue and groove coupling between the collar and the top of the socket member, said coupling normally holding the pedestal against turning but being disengageable by abnormal turning force.

2. An attachment for lathes as called for in claim 1 wherein stop means is provided limiting swinging of said lever end away from the pushpin, and including spring means acting selectively to swing the lever into engagement with the push-pin or into engagement with the stop means.

3. In combination with a lathe, and an attachment including a pedestal, means for adjustably connecting the pedestal to one side of the lathe, a bracket on said pedestal and adjustable longitudinally thereof, means for locking the bracket in adjusted position, an arm supported by the bracket for longitudinal adjustment relative to the bracket in a plane perpendicular to the pedestal, means for locking the arm in adjusted position, a block fixed on one end of said arm, a gauge supported by the block therea'bove and having a push-pin positioned above and faced in the same direction as said arm. end, a pair 01 parallel arms projecting from said block, a. lever pivoted at its central portion between said arms, the arrangement being such that one end of. said lever is engageable with said push-pin to operate the gauge, said block including a stop portion engageable by the lever to limit swinging movement of said lever away from the push-pin, and spring means acting selectivelyto swing the lever into engagement with the push-pin or in engagement with said stop portion,

THEODORE O. STRAUSS.

References Cited in the file of this patent Mieback Apr. 25, 1893 Number Number 379,777 29' 890,199

8 Name Date Nichols May 30, 1905 Reisner et al. Aug. 30, 1910 Freeman Dec. 17, 1912 Berg et a1 Apr. 14, 1914 Knab Nov. 18, 1919 Miolla Apr. 18, 1922 Pratt Feb. 2, 1926 Tesk Oct. 16, 1928 Aut'enrieth Mar. 9, 1937 Rusnal; Nov. .9, 1937 Parker July 19, 1938 Sisson May 13, 1941 Coleman Oct. 7, 1941 Croston Sept. 22, 1942 Aller Nov. 17, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany Aug. 30, 1923 France Nov. 2, 1943 

